Currently the number of computer systems shipping without a floppy drive is increasing. But many computer systems still include a floppy drive. Basic input/output services (“BIOS”) firmware must be flexible enough to handle both possibilities. So, the BIOS must check for the presence of a floppy drive at boot time.
One difficulty this presents is that checking for the presence of a floppy drive during the boot procedure adds time to the boot procedure. Consumers and some certification authorities desire a short boot procedure.